2084: Slavery Resurgent

“This town was built on nepotism.” - Damon Wayans

True to his word, Hiram sent two janitors to assist Franklin and his trainee in servicing the Union Bank building. Franklin knew one of them, having worked with him for a brief period several years ago. His name was Donnie Something-or-Other. Donnie was infamous for having stood in a crouched position atop the motor of a buffer, attempting to surf across the floor before he fell off. Although he bruised his shoulder on the first attempt, it didn’t deter him from trying again. Donnie was sure it could be done. To his way of thinking, it was similar to surfboarding and skateboarding in that an awesome ride could be achieved only by being absolutely fearless as he performed a balancing act.

On his sixth attempt, Donnie almost mastered his technique, before he became tangled in the electrical cord, landed on his face, and broke his nose. Franklin was amazed that Hiram did not fire him for goofing off on the job.

Ronnie, the other janitor, and Donnie were brothers. They lost no time in letting Franklin know that they were distantly related to Hiram Nasov’s wife.

Since Ronnie was the older, and hopefully more responsible, of the brothers, Franklin issued him a set of access codes and keys in addition to teaching him how to maintain the revolving door at the main entrance. Franklin made it clear that Ronnie was the head janitor and, as such, would be held accountable for Donnie’s behavior. The company’s code of conduct did not permit taking drugs and/or alcohol within four hours of the start of a shift; any indiscretions would have severe consequences. Buffer surfing would result in immediate termination. Franklin said he had already discussed the issue with Hiram. Although he was lying, it was merely a white lie, one which he intended to correct the next time he reported to Hiram. Nepotism stank; it conflicted with Franklin’s principles. But God had chosen His Son to be mankind’s Savior. Wasn’t that nepotism? No, Hiram was a Jew, so in this case it did not seem to matter. Franklin forced the issue from his mind. Philosophy wasn’t his forte. He felt a headache coming on. And the shift wasn’t half through.

Franklin left a message on Hiram’s voice mail detailing a list of supplies that they needed to clean and service the Union Bank Building. At the end of the message, he thanked Hiram for the two new janitors and alluded that Donnie had been a problem in the past. “Advise me as to what I should do if this employee continues to violate OSHA safety regulations,” ended Franklin. He phrased his last statement as delicately as possible, being particularly careful not to make any references to nepotism.

Fortunately, Donnie and Ronnie had decided to do a good job. They were planning on taking a long Surfing Safari vacation to Australia in the Summer of 2086. They needed to save several thousand dollars to finance their trip. Also, they would have to ask Hiram for three months off. Nothing short of excellent work on their part stood even a remote chance of persuading Hiram of the efficacy of granting them an extended leave of absence. Nonetheless, they had made up their minds to become stellar employees. No more smoking dope on-the-job, no more buffer surfing, and no more abusing sick leave – they would undergo a miraculous transformation. Unbeknown to either of them – or anyone else for that matter – their determination would last for almost three weeks. And three weeks was just long enough to make Franklin appear to be a spectacular disciplinarian which, of course, he alone was aware he was not.

George 99,689,794 did not need a full three weeks of training. He was a fast learner and paid attention to details. By the end of the second week of instruction, Franklin felt that the trainee was ready to do the job on his own. However, Franklin had not forgotten that the automaton had disarmed Beauregard Benoit and tossed him down a trash chute. Franklin was in no rush to be rid of the most intriguing individual he had ever met. Simon Kline was an enigma. The more Franklin discovered about the fake automaton, the more he wanted to know. Extending their relationship by one more week wouldn’t bankrupt the company and it had the potential of assisting Franklin in his quest to cut to the gist of the automaton phenomenon. Slavery had staged a rebirth. Franklin wanted to know how and why. Slavery in all of its forms was evil incarnate. The United States had fought a Civil War to remove the cancer of slavery that was threatening freedom. The cancer had not been killed. It simply went into a prolonged remission. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. Once more into the fray. Franklin knew no fear. He had faith in God; good would guide him.